Reflector oven



Aug. 7, 1956 L. A. MCDOWELL 2,757,664

REFLECTOR OVEN Filed July 7, 1953 INVENTOR- LONZO A M6 DOWELL 722M014,Fmdffiym ATTORNEYS United States Patent REFLECTOR OVEN Lonzo A.McDowell, Vallejo, Calif.

Application July 7, 1953, Serial No. 366,492

4 Claims. (Cl. 126-275) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in folding reflector ovens of the type used by campers.Reflector ,ovens are used before open fires and comprise a pair ofangularly disposed reflectors of tin or other heat reflective materialwhich reflect heat from a fire onto a horizontal shelf disposed betweenthe two reflectors. The effect of the reflectors is to concentrate theradiant heat of the fire upon the shelf. The present reflector oven,accordingly, comprises a horizontal shelf raised above and supported bythe sides of the oven. The top and bottom reflectors are positionedabove and below the shelf disposed at a 45 angle with respect to theshelf.

The present oven is formed of five pieces of metal, all of which arehinged to one or more other pieces so that the entire oven may be foldedcompactly but at the same time, since all of the pieces are connected,no single piece can be lost or misplaced.

One of the particular features of the invention is the fact that the topreflector is hinged at its forward edge to be raised to provide accessto the shelf from the rear-i. e., without the camper having to approachthe shelf from the fire side. The hinged top reflector also provides aready means for adjusting the temperature of the oven in that by raisingthe cover a draft may be admitted which cools the shelf and itscontents.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective of the oven in assembled position.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the oven showing the top reflectorin closed position in full lines and in partially open position indotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a perspective of the oven folded in compact form for storageor transportation.

The instant invention comprises two sides 10, a horizontal shelf 11supported by the sides, a bottom reflector 12 below the shelf 11extending from the rearward corner of the shelf to the forward lowercorner of the sides and a top reflector 13 extending upwardly from therear of the shelf to the top forward corners of the sides 10. The partsare made of sheet metal, preferably shiny, so as to reflect heat. Sheetaluminum is a suitable material of construction.

Each side 10 is trapezoidal in shape with the parallel edges disposedvertically. The longer parallel edge 16 is positioned at the front ofthe oven and the shorter parallel edge 17 at the back. One of thenon-parallel edges 18 is perpendicular to the front and rear edges andprovides the base on which the oven rests. The other non-parallel edge19 is disposed at an angle of 45 to the front edge in a downwardlyinclined position. Each side 10 is formed with its edges folded back toform hems to prevent injury from sharp sheet metal. The front edge 16 isformed with a rolled bead 21 in which is imbedded a wire 22. Each wireis bent at the top and bottom inwardly and formed with an eye 23 whichconstitutes one of the members of the hinge hereinafter described. Onthe inner surface of each side 10, spaced 2,757,664 Patented Aug. 7,1956 along a horizontal line, is a pair of studs 24 which support theshelf 11 as hereinafter set forth.

The bottom reflector 12 is formed of a substantially rectangular pieceof metal and in assembled position is inclined at an angle ofapproximately 45 with the horizontal slanting upwardly from the frontbottom corner of sides 10 to the back of the oven. The sides of thebottom reflector 12 are folded inwardly to form a hem to prevent injuryto the user. A rounded bead 26 is formed along the bottom edge and inthe bead is im bedded a wire 27, the ends of which are bent up to formeyes 28 which hook into the eye 23 at the lower front corner of eachside 10 to form a hinge joint. The upper edge of the bottom reflector 12is fabricated for connection with the rear edge of the shelf 11 in apiano type hinge 31 as hereinafter set forth.

The horizontally disposed shelf 11 is substantially rectangular and isformed with a bead 32 at the front which prevents injury to the user andis fabricated at its rear edge. for connection with the bottom reflector12. It will be understood that several types of hinges may be employedto join the shelf and the bottom reflector, but as herein illustrated aconvenient hinge is of the piano type whereby a wire 33 is employed forthe hinge pin and alternate adjacent projections of the edges to bejoined are bent around the hinge pin. Each side edge of the shelf isturned in downwardly extending flange 36 which is formed with a pair ofnotches 37 along its bottom edge into which the studs 24 in the sides 10fit. These studs 24, one adjacent the front and one adjacent the rear ofthe shelf 11 provide the support for the shelf.

The top reflector 13 likewise is rectangular in shape and folded in hemsalong its edges. A bead 41 is rolled at the top of the reflector and inthe bead is imbedded a wire 42, the ends of which are bent upward andformed in eyes 43, one at each side, which engage the top eyes 23 of thesides 10 to provide a hinge joint between the top forward edge of thesides 10 and the top edge of the top reflector 13. The bottom edge ofthe top reflector 13 is bent backward in a U shape which provides ahandle 44 for lifting the top reflector.

In assembled position, as shown in Fig. 1, the sides 10 rest on theground or other support. The shelf 11 is disposed horizontally and issupported on the studs 24 which engage the notches 37 in flanges 36. Thebottom reflector 12 is supported by hinge 31 from the shelf 11. The topreflector 13 is supported by the eyes 23-43 and rests at its rear edgeupon the rear of the shelf 11. In such position the two reflectors 12and 13 are disposed at 45 angles with respect to the shelf 11 andreflect heat from the fire onto the shelf, concentrating the heat forcooking purposes.

One of the features of the oven is the fact that the top reflector 13 ishinged so that it swings upward providing access to the shelf from therear. See Fig. 2. This enables the user to reach the shelf without thenecessity of getting between the oven and the fire. Further, when thetop reflector 13 is partially raised, the temperature of the shelf canbe adjusted in that raising the reflector creates a draft which coolsthe shelf.

When it is desired to pack the oven for transportation the studs 24 aredisengaged from the notches 37 and the reflectors 12 and 13 and shelf 11collapse. Thereupon the sides 10 are folded over against the shelf. Itwill thus be observed that the oven, when not in use, may be stored in aminimum of space and may be set up and disassembled rapidly.

Although I have described my invention in some detail by way ofillustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it isunderstood that certain changes and modifications may be practicedwithin the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A folding reflecting oven comprising a pair of spaced, rigid,integral sides, a bottom reflector arranged when said oven is assembledto extend upwardly rea wardly from the bottom front edge of said oven,first means hingedly connecting each bottom front corner of said sideswith a corresponding bottom front corner of said bottom reflector, ashelf arranged when said oven is assembled to extend horizontallycentrally of said even, second means hingedly connecting the rear edgeof said shelf with the upper rear edge of said bottom reflector, thirdmeans carried by said sides for supporting the side edges of said shelf,a top reflector arranged when said oven is assembled to extenddownwardly rearwardly from the top front edge of said oven, and fourthmeans hingedly connecting each top front corner of said sides with acorresponding top front corner of said top reflector, the side edges ofsaid bottom and top reflectors being adjacent but discrete relative tosaid sides.

2. An oven according to claim 1 in which the rear edge of said topreflector is arranged to rest on the rear edge of said shelf and inwhich said rear edge of said top reflector is arranged to be swungupwardly to provide access to said shelf from the rear of said oven,said swinging movement being about said fourth means and about ahorizontal axis through the extreme top, front portion of said oven.

3. An oven according to claim 1 in which said first and fourth meansinclude wires carried in the front edges of said sides and said top andbottom reflectors, each end of each of said wires being formed with aneye interlocking with a corresponding eye of the member to which it ishingedly connected.

4. An oven according to claim 1 in which each said side is trapezoidalwith the longer parallel edge constituting the front edge of said sideand in which the bottom edge of said side is perpendicular to theparallel sides.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,627Chilson June 10, 1840 449,432 Watson Mar. 31, 1891 1,216,008 StonebridgeFeb. 13, 1917 2,580,925 Jarvis Jan. 1, 1952 2,625,148 Snyder Jan. 13,1953

